


Letter X: X-Ray

by authorangelita (angel)



Series: Fic Alphabet Challenge: Teen Wolf [27]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Broken Bones, College Student Stiles, Developing Relationship, Future Fic, Hurt Stiles, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 09:12:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6512257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel/pseuds/authorangelita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles insists that his ankle isn't broken.  Scott and Derek take him to the hospital anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Letter X: X-Ray

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the Fic Alphabet Challenge at [my Tumblr](http://authorangelita.tumblr.com/)

"Put me down!" Stiles exclaimed as Derek carried him through the automatic doors into the hospital ER. "It's not broken."

"It's swollen!" Scott argued, following behind them. He had one hand on Stiles' uninjured ankle, drawing the pain away. Stiles had to admit that he didn't want to know what this felt like without the pain drain, but he suspected that he was about to find out. 

"Boys?" Melissa appeared in front of them, holding up her hands in a gesture that Stiles immediately recognized as 'shut the hell up'. "What happened?"

"Mom," Scott sounded relieved to see her, "Stiles fell out of a tree and hurt his leg. I think his ankle's broken."

"Not broken," Stiles argued half-heartedly. He rolled his head in her direction and gave a little wave with the hand that wasn't wrapped around Derek's neck. "Hi, Mrs. McCall."

She gave him a gentle smile and a "Hi, honey." Then, she pointed toward the nearest unoccupied exam room. "Derek, put him on the table in there. I'll get a doctor."

"Thank you," Derek said, moving to do as she asked. 

Stiles didn't protest being set on the table, but he did slap Derek's hands away before the werewolf could touch his throbbing ankle. Scott had stopped the pain drain and stepped away from him in anticipation of his mom returning with the doctor. That meant that Stiles' pain levels went from uncomfortable to I-might-need-some-serious-drugs pretty damn fast. 

"We didn't need to come here," Stiles grumbled. "It's just a sprain."

Derek huffed. "We'll let the professionals decide that."

"That's an excellent point, Derek," Melissa said, as she stepped into the room. "Dr. Geyer will be here in a few minutes." She pulled on a pair of gloves and moved to the end of the table. "Which ankle?"

"Left." Stiles eyed her warily. "It's just a sprain. Can you just wrap it up and I'll be out of your hair?"

She gently pushed Stiles' jeans up and found that his leg was definitely swollen and that his shoe needed to come off immediately. "I think it's a little more than that, kiddo. This is going to hurt, but I'll try to make it fast." 

"'Kay," he replied, and then whined and shifted uncomfortably as she loosened his shoelaces and tried to slip the shoe off. The throbbing increased so badly that he could hardly catch his breath.

Derek and Scott both reached for the exposed skin on his arms, but Melissa stopped them. "Don't. The doctor needs to know how much pain he's in." She patted Stiles' uninjured leg. "I know it hurts, but hang in there for me. I'm going to grab some scissors and cut your shoe off, okay?"

Stiles nodded and worked at controlling his breathing in the hopes that it would control his pain. He reached out toward Derek with one hand and was relieved where Derek moved closer and intertwined their fingers. 

"You're doing great," Derek said quietly. "Just keep breathing."

Melissa turned around and gave their hands a look, expecting to see the tell-tale black veins, but Derek just stared her down until she returned to her work. She cut Stiles' shoe and sock off and frowned at the state of his ankle. "You're definitely going to need an x-ray."

Stiles groaned and swore. He really didn't need this right now. The fall semester had just started at BHCC, and Stiles had intended on actually making it to all his classes for at least the first month. Now, he wouldn't even be able to drive the Jeep.

He was drawn out of his inner ramblings by Dr. Geyer saying his name loudly. "Stiles?!"

"Yeah, sorry. Hey, Doc."

The doctor pulled out a pen light and started shining it in Stiles' eyes. "Did you hit your head? Any loss of consciousness?"

"No. My head's fine. It's just my ankle that hurts. When can I get some painkillers? Because, let me tell you, this really hurts, so something to kill the pain would be great. Fantastic, even."

Dr. Geyer moved to the end of the bed and raised an eyebrow. "I'll write an order for an analgesic, and we're going to send you to radiology." He started palpating Stiles' ankle until a particularly well-placed pressure had Stiles nearly coming off the bed, shouting in pain, and Derek growling at the doctor.

"Boys!" Melissa exclaimed, glaring at Derek mostly. "Scott, Derek, head out to the waiting room. It's going to be a while before Stiles can be released."

Both Scott and Derek opened their mouths to protest, but it was Stiles that actually spoke. "Can't Derek stay with me? Please?"

Melissa's expression softened considerably. Stiles knew she was thinking back to the MRI a long time ago, and he shuddered at the memories himself. It was the last time he'd been in the hospital as a patient himself. "Derek can stay until we take you to x-ray, but he won't be able to go with you."

Stiles nodded. Derek stepped closer to the bed and hovered near Stiles' head while Dr. Geyer gave his orders to Melissa and she started moving around the room to get Stiles ready for the x-ray. She gave him the prescribed dose of painkillers, immobilized his ankle in a splint, and then cut his pants open to the knee so that the tech would free access to the injury. 

"How are you doing?" Derek asked, squeezing Stiles' fingers. 

"Okay, I guess. Drugs are kicking in. I feel kind of stupid for climbing that tree."

"Well, Scott goaded you into it, so I'd say the responsibility falls 50% on him." 

Stiles snorted out a laugh. "He probably feels 100% responsible, so that's punishment enough."

"We'll see about that."

"Hey, I'm okay. Don't take it out on Scott. It's not really his fault."

"Stiles, your leg is broken. That's not okay."

"Maybe broken, and I'll be okay. Believe it or not, this would not be my first broken bone." 

It was Derek's turn to snort.

Stiles smiled. "I'll heal. It'll just be frustrating and annoying for a while. It sucks with school and everything, but I'll talk to them and see if I can switch to some online classes. The semester's only just started."

"You can come stay with me, if you want. You'll need someone to help you out for a few of weeks, and I know your dad has that seminar out of town and the re-certification class."

Stiles was surprised. Derek had never asked him to stay at the loft before aside from the occasional sleepover when Stiles was too tired to drive home. They had committed to taking their relationship slowly ever since it had started just after Stiles had turned eighteen. "Uh, yeah, sure. I'd like that."

"Good." Derek leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips that Stiles tried to deepen, but Melissa clearing her throat from the doorway caused them to jump apart. Stiles hissed as his ankle was jostled but the drugs were working their magic still. 

"It's time to take you down to radiology. Derek, Scott's in the waiting room. He knows where all the best coffee is around here."

"You'll come get me when he's back in here?" Derek asked, concerned.

"I will."

"I'll be okay," Stiles said, pulling him down for another kiss before letting him go.

Melissa helped Stiles into a wheelchair and took him to Radiology where a perky, young x-ray tech turned his ankle in many painful positions before letting Melissa take him back to the ER. He was uncomfortable and surly by the time they got back, but Melissa wouldn't give him any more painkillers just yet. She did get him some ice and elevated his foot until Dr. Geyer could come back with the films and a recommended course of action. 

She also went and got Derek and Scott from the waiting room. Despite Stiles' increasing pain level, he was exhausted from the whole ordeal and dozed off against Derek's shoulder when the older man pulled a chair up to the side of the exam table so that he was at the right level for such a thing. 

A couple of hours later, Stiles was sporting a cast from his toes to just below his knee, and he'd been given another dose of painkillers, so Derek carried him from the car into the loft instead of letting him wobble there precariously on his crutches. It would take several weeks for him to heal, but the doctor had assured them that he would be fine. Stiles was kind of pleased that it also meant he'd get to spend even more time with Derek. Maybe a broken leg wouldn't be so bad after all.

~End


End file.
